So, how to use a telescope to see the moon? Most of us are interested in astronomy and some love to watch the sky and other things. A key part and parcel of astronomy is a telescope. Without a telescope we can not even think of astronomy. Though a telescope is used for various purposes astronomy is still the key usage of a telescope. Using of a telescope has a long past. We know that Galileo Galilei, Newton, Johannes Kepler, and other famous scientists and astronomers have used normal telescopes a long ago. In this era the telescope is not like the same before. It is now a way improvised and the magnification and coverage is now very huge. So in this article, I am going to show you how to use a telescope properly. So this article should be useful for both beginner and experienced.
Now Let’s begin How To Use A Telescope
Part 1: Choosing the telescope
Considering a telescope according to your need is the basic part. You have to choose the right type of telescope for the specific usage. There are three types of telescopes basically nowadays. They are: Refractor, Reflector and the Catadioptric
- A refractor telescope is a long and thin tube with an objective lens containing at the front for getting the light. This is quite good for watching moons, stars, planets etc. The image quality is also very good and this telescope doesn’t need much maintenance.
- The reflector telescope has a mirror inside it which reflects the light for making a brighter image. This is quite good for beginners. Terrestrial views can not be seen through this telescope. Beginners can search for how to use a reflector telescope to learn about this telescope well.
- The Catadioptric telescopes are a mixture of both lens and mirrors. This telescope is very good for viewing and also for moving. This is quite costly than the refractor and reflector telescopes.
- For bird watching experience for example you should avoid the reflector telescope because you can not see terrestrial objects view in this telescope.
- In such a place where dew drops frequently and you are intending to use the telescope at night then refractor or catadioptric telescope will be the best choice for you.
- Magnification is a very important fact. For per inch reflector you will get 50-power. You should go with approximately 150-power to get better result. Not more or less than this.
Part 2: Understand the telescope
After choosing a telescope successfully you have to move your mind to understand the facts about telescope. Here you have to learn what are the basic things adjusted in the telescope and how to use this. Sometimes we don’t even know how to look through a telescope.
- Firstly you have to understand the finderscope. A finderscope is also one kind of special scope which one is attached with the upper side of the telescope. It has the special ability of covering more area than a telescope itself. Before watching any substance in the telescope you have to use the finderscope to find the specific object. After finding the object you can use the telescope to get a zoomed and cleared view of that object.
- Basically there are two types of mounting in a telescope. One is Altazimuth mounting and another type is Equatorial. In A telescope with Altazimuth mounting you can rotate the telescope in various positions like up to down, side to side etc positions. They are thinner and ordinary type telescope for beginners. There is also the Equatorial telescope which can not be moved in up to bottom position. The movement of the telescope is quite different and complex. It has two axis of movement. So you have to learn this mounting after buying a telescope.
- We need a tripod to set our telescope over it. A main problem emerges when using a telescope is focusing. If we use our hands to hold the telescope we will surely face the focusing problems because the telescope will not be stable. For a stable imaging experience you must learn how to use a tripod and how to adjust the telescope over the tripod.
Part 3: Exploring the sky
Now the most important part appears. How to use your telescope properly to scan the sky smoothly is our main objective. Obviously we want to make the image as clear as possible. That’s why we must need to apply some basic fundamentals and some tricks to get the excellent view of the object.
- So before you go for exploring you have to learn the sky. Timing, placing everything is important here. We just can’t go for watching stars in a cloudy sky. For watching stars the best suggestion will be in a moonlit night. There are some books which can tell you when it is the right time for watching which star. Also you have to examine the sky charts. This is because sometimes you need to point your telescope through a specific direction in the dark which is quite impossible.
- Choosing the position is also a vital part of observing through a telescope. The main problem appears when light pollution emerges. To avoid the light pollution (in big cities) you need to afford as much higher place as you can. Otherwise light pollution will hamper your watching experience. That’s why the entire telescope observing thing happens in the higher place.
- You need to practice quite a few times with the telescope at first if you are a beginner. If you do not practice these stuffs you will forget how to use the telescope. My recommendation for the beginners will be practicing the focusing and getting the good quality image with a closer object at first. For example a tree. But do not try the sun for this purpose. Ultimately try to be used to with your telescope to get good experience.
Conclusion:
This whole process of understanding a telescope is not very easy. I will suggest beginners to search for how to use a telescope youtube to learn the basic facts. All other vital things are described here. So after reading this article now I hope that you can use a telescope on your own.
You can also check of How to Choose Binoculars & How To Use A Spotting Scope
